IRA Victims: Libyan Government Compensation

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on gaining compensation from the Libyan Government for the victims of terrorist acts perpetrated by the IRA.

Andrew Robathan: As the Prime Minister said during Prime Ministers Questions on 26 March 2014, the British Government has raised repeatedly with the Libyan Government, at the highest levels, the importance of them engaging with UK victims seeking redress. This includes those seeking compensation through private campaigns, and their legal representatives.

On-the-runs: Letters

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the review of so-called letters of comfort issued to on-the-runs.

Theresa Villiers: On 11 March 2014 I appointed Lady Justice Hallett to carry out an independent inquiry into the administrative scheme dealing with so-called “on the runs”.
	The terms of reference require the provision of a full public account of the operation and extent of the scheme.
	I will lay a copy of the report before the House as soon as practicable after I receive it.

Government Spending Allocation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking to increase the amount of Government spending allocated to Northern Ireland.

Andrew Robathan: The Government continue to provide considered additional support and, as a result of spending decisions announced at Budget, the Executive will receive positive Barnett consequentials of over £21 million. However, the long term answer for the Northern Ireland economy is a private sector revival and not increases in Government spending.

Reduction in Public Sector Employment

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the number of people employed in the public sector in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Robathan: The Government is committed to rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy in favour of the private sector which we and the Executive believe is the best way to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future. Over the last year, private sector jobs in Northern Ireland have increased by 10,490 and public sector jobs by 1,790.

Economic Development

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on economic development in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: I regularly hold discussions with executive Ministers on a range of economic issues.
	Last week, I chaired a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Task Force on Banking and Access to Finance which was established to help Northern Ireland businesses access finance.

Economic Development

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on economic development in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: I regularly hold discussions with executive Ministers on a range of economic issues.
	Last week, I chaired a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Task Force on Banking and Access to Finance which was established to help Northern Ireland businesses access finance.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what incentives his Department provides to companies who pioneer initiatives designed to tackle unemployment.

Matthew Hancock: “Small business; GREAT ambition”, published on 7 December 2013, is our commitment to making it easier for ambitious small businesses to grow. One of those commitments is to make it easier for businesses to take on new staff, through reforming of employment law and making it simpler and cheaper to employ people.
	More than 95,000 small businesses have been helped with the recruitment process through universal jobmatch, a free online service launched in November 2012. And to help businesses understand what they need to do when taking on new staff, we have created an “Employing staff for the first time tool” on gov.uk. We are cutting the cost of employment through the new £2,000 employment allowance which will help 1.25 million employers reduce their national insurance bills. We are also abolishing employer national insurance contributions for under 21-year-olds earning less than £813 a week from April 2015.
	To encourage small businesses to take on apprentices, we introduced the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme which provides a £1,500 grant per apprentice for the first ten 16 to 24 apprentices recruited. Budget 2014 announced further funding of £85 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 to extend this scheme which will provide over 100,000 grants to employers.
	More widely, our £3.2 billion Regional Growth Fund is a flexible and competitive fund operating across England from 2011 to 2017, creating jobs into the mid-2020s. The objectives of the Regional Growth Fund are to create economic growth by levering private sector investment and creating additional sustainable private sector employment and in particular, to rebalance the economy by helping those areas and communities that are currently dependent on the public sector. To date, the Fund has supported 400 awards totalling £2.6 billion of RGF and £14.7 billion of private sector investment, delivering 550,000 jobs.

EU External Trade: South East Asia

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that European Commission free trade agreement negotiations with (a) Thailand and (b) India safeguard access to affordable medicines; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) include a chapter on the protection, enforcement and promotion of intellectual property (IP) rights. While the protection of IP is one of a number of factors that determine the cost of medicines, we actively seek to ensure that provisions on IP rights in EU FTAs do not have negative impacts on the ability of the poorest to access low cost medicines.
	On Thailand, we engage with the Commission and stand ready to support a constructive dialogue between the EU, the Government of Thailand and interested non-governmental organisations to establish the right balance between incentivising private sector investment in Thailand and ensuring that the FTA should not undermine access to essential medicines.
	The UK welcomed the joint declaration by EU Trade Commissioner de Gucht and Indian Trade Minister Sharma in December 2010 that nothing in the EU-India FTA would prevent the poorest from accessing life-saving medicines. We continue to engage with the European Commission to ensure that this is the case.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance he has given to local enterprise partnerships about the inclusion of higher education in their strategic economic plans.

Michael Fallon: Local leaders and businesses, as represented by Local Enterprise Partnerships are best placed to decide the economic priorities for their area and these will be highlighted in their Strategic Economic Plans.
	Higher Education leaders are well represented on LEP boards and this demonstrates the importance of HE, not only in delivering high level skills, jobs and growth, but also in ensuring that universities can play a key role in influencing the local economy.

Science: Higher Education

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage alternative providers of higher education to offer courses in STEM subjects.

David Willetts: The Government's reforms to higher education are encouraging alternative providers of higher education to enter the sector and so enhancing the choices available to students. All providers of higher education are free to develop and offer courses in response to student demand.
	Courses such as Science, Technology and Engineering typically have teaching costs that cannot be met by tuition fees alone. The Government provides funding, through the Higher Education Council for England (HEFCE) to meet the teaching costs of these high cost subjects. Under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, HEFCE is able to allocate funding to prescribed institutions of Higher Education in England. Alternative providers are not prescribed institutions of higher education and are not subject to the same regulatory conditions.

Vocational Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what provision exists under his Department's Traineeships Programme for individuals with special needs.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education have worked closely to ensure that traineeships are accessible to learners with special needs and that those learners are supported during their participation on the programme. The Government believes that it is extremely important that young people and adults with special needs are able to access good quality vocational education and skills training to help in employment, participate in their community and lead a more independent life.
	Young people aged 16 to 18 with statements of special educational needs (SEN), or aged 16 to 25 with Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDA) or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, can access traineeships and will continue to get the co-ordinated support the statement, LDA or EHC plan provides.
	BIS provides Learning Support funding to colleges and providers to help them meet the additional needs of learners aged 19 to 24 who do not have a LDA or an EHC plan and who self-declare a learning difficulty and/or disability so that they can participate fully in education and training, including traineeships. Learning Support can cover a range of needs including funding to pay for specialist equipment and helpers; arranging note takers; talking to college staff about the particular help someone may need in lectures and seminars or discussing any special arrangements for exams. This funding also helps colleges and providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and meet the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010.
	Young people with special needs can also choose to undertake a supported internship rather than a traineeship. Supported internships are open to young people aged 16 to 24 with a statement of SEN, a LDA or an EHC plan and who need more help to make the transition from education into employment. Supported internships offer a structured study programme, based primarily at an employer, and are tailored to the individual needs of a young person with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to equip them with the skills they need for the workplace. Both the young person and the employer will receive support from an expert job coach throughout the supported internship.

Older Workers

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what progress she has made on appointing a business champion for older workers.

Jennifer Willott: The Department for Work and Pensions are currently developing a job specification and draft programme for an older worker's business champion, whose role will be to promote the business benefits of recruiting and retaining older workers.

Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General against what corporate defendants the Serious Fraud Office has brought enforcement actions in the last 10 years; what the outcome of each such action was; what civil recovery was ordered in each successful case; what criminal fines were imposed in each successful case; and under what primary legislation each case was brought.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has brought enforcement actions against 11 corporate defendants in the last 10 years, as set out in the following table.
	Before 2008, all successful SFO prosecutions were of individuals. The following table shows the fines and civil recovery orders (CROs) in SFO cases involving corporates since then.
	
		
			  Case Penalty1 
			 2008 Balfour Beatty plc £2.25 million CRO 
			 2008 Severn Trent Water Ltd £2 million fine 
			 2009 AMEC plc £4.94 million CRO 
			 2009 Mabey and Johnson Ltd £3.5 million fine 
			 2010 BAE Systems plc £500,000 fine 
			 2010 Innospec Ltd $12.7 million fine 
			 2011 De Puy International Ltd £4.8 million CRO 
			 2011 MacMillan Publishers Ltd £11.3 million CRO 
			 2011 M W Kellogg Ltd £7 million CRO 
			 2012 Mabey Engineering (Holdings) Ltd £131,000 CRO 
			 2012 Oxford Publishing Ltd £1.9 million CRO 
			 1 Figures are rounded 
		
	
	The above proceedings marked “CRO” were commenced in accordance with Chapter 2 of Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
	Severn Trent Water Ltd pleaded guilty to an offence under the Water Industry Act 1991.
	Mabey and Johnson Ltd pleaded guilty to offences under the Criminal Law Act 1977, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and United Nations Act 1946.
	BAE Systems plc pleaded guilty to an offence of failing to maintain adequate accounting records under the Companies Act 1985.
	Innospec Ltd pleaded guilty to an offence under the Criminal Law Act 1977.
	In 2006, the SFO brought charges against five companies in relation to alleged price fixing of pharmaceutical products. The five companies were Kent Pharmaceuticals, Norton Healthcare Ltd, Generics (UK) Ltd, Ranbaxy (UK) Ltd, and Goldshield Group plc. In 2008, a judge ordered the acquittal of all five companies.
	If a company is to be prosecuted, it is usually necessary cases to demonstrate that the controlling minds of a company were knowing participants in the criminality being alleged. This can be difficult to prove, especially in complex cases, and so most SFO prosecutions have been of individuals rather than companies. Other outcomes are also possible. In 2010, BAE Systems plc agreed to make a £29.5 million payment for the benefit of the people of Tanzania, following a settlement with the SFO and the US Department of Justice. Last year, Oxford University Press (owners of Oxford Publishing Ltd) unilaterally offered to contribute £2,000,000 to not-for-profit organisations for teacher training and other educational purposes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Arthritis: Young People

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to raise public awareness of juvenile idiopathic arthritis among (a) GPs, (b) the general public, (c) school teachers and (d) schoolchildren in England.

Daniel Poulter: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care, which is evidenced-based and aimed at health, public health and social care practitioners. Information on juvenile idiopathic arthritis, including aimed at the general public, is available on the NICE website. Additionally the NHS Choices website contains information aimed at the general public on the condition.
	The Department for Education is not aware of any steps that have been taken to raise the awareness of juvenile idiopathic arthritis among school teachers or children in England.

Arthritis: Young People

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the quality and geographical provision of health services provided to patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in England.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has advised that the Paediatric Medicine Clinical Reference Group is currently developing a paediatric rheumatology quality dashboard which they anticipate will go live during 2014, this focuses on outcomes for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
	The geographical coverage of rheumatology services for children was part of the service specification compliance undertaken between NHS England and providers of the service during 2013-14. It is anticipated that the results of this will be soon be available.
	The following table gives the latest available data on the number of finished admission episodes for children aged 0-17 years with a primary diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in England, by Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of treatment for 2010-11 to 2012-13.
	
		
			 Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 SHA code Organisation description 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Q30 North East Strategic Health Authority 461 629 637 
			 Q31 North West Strategic Health Authority 2,404 2,535 2,532 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority 548 905 1,011 
			 Q33 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 264 274 261 
			 Q34 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority 456 548 627 
			 Q35 East of England Strategic Health Authority 467 445 273 
			 Q36 London Strategic Health Authority 1,571 1,933 2,089 
			 Q37 South east Coast Strategic Health Authority 101 91 86 
			 Q38 South Central Strategic Health Authority 207 231 363 
			 Q39 South West Strategic Health Authority 769 779 687 
			  England 7,248 8,370 8,566 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Breast Cancer

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department offers to clinical commissioning groups on how they should best use the NICE breast cancer quality standard.

Jane Ellison: The Department has not issued any guidance to clinical commissioning groups on how to use the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) breast cancer quality standard.
	It is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups to decide how best to use the NICE breast cancer quality standard.
	NICE quality standards are a concise set of statements designed to drive and measure priority quality improvements within a particular area of care. They are derived from the best available evidence and set out the markers of high-quality; cost-effective care.
	While providers and commissioners must have regard to the NICE quality standards in planning and delivering services, the quality standards do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory. However NHS England continues to champion their use with providers and commissioners.

Buildings

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what refurbishments have been carried out by his Department since May 2010; what the cost of such refurbishment was by category of expenditure; what refurbishments are planned; and what the estimated cost is of such future refurbishments.

Daniel Poulter: holding answer 31 March 2014
	The Department has updated its buildings to accommodate existing and new organisations. As a result, we have been able to reduce our number of property holdings by nine, which has resulted in savings of £5.5 million per annum, and delivered a number of improvements to our lighting, heating and cooling systems which will make our buildings more energy efficient and help towards delivering our Greener Government targets.
	Expenditure on office refurbishment undertaken by the Department since May 2010 is as follows. Refurbishment costs relate to the general fit out, improvement and provision of furniture and equipment and excludes building repair and maintenance. It is not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown of this expenditure by category of refurbishment without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Refurbishment Costs (£) 
			 2010-11 2,307,347 
			 2011-12 4,927,470 
			 2012-13 12,607,048 
			 2013-14 20,226,451 
		
	
	Planned refurbishment with estimated costs for 2014-15, where known, are as follows:
	
		
			 Activity Estimated Costs (£ million) 
			 Update of Floor 2 in Skipton House 1 
			 Refurbishment of Richmond House 'A' Block 1.5

Cystic Fibrosis

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current arrangements for donor lung allocation for people with cystic fibrosis.

Jane Ellison: The current lung allocation system, including those to cystic fibrosis patients, is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the United Kingdom. The most recent analysis showed no statistically significant differences in allocation across the UK lung transplant centres. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) continue to consider practical steps within the current allocation system which could improve patient outcomes.
	Lung allocation policy is developed by the Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group. It is presently reviewing the current approach focusing on equity and better outcomes for patients. Any recommendations to change allocation policy will be considered by NHSBT, who will check to ensure that they meet the aims of the allocation system and that they have the support of transplant stakeholders before making any changes.

Health Professions: Regulation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on health professionals, if he will publish the robust evidence-based cost-benefit risk analysis of the regulation of unregulated health care professionals.

Daniel Poulter: The answer of 4 March 2011 related to the regulation of the health care science work force and not unregulated health care professionals more generally.
	Modernising Scientific Careers has put in place standardised and accredited education and training programmes for the health care science work force that enables formalised regulation whether voluntary or statutory.
	For those health care scientists not regulated by statute the Academy for Healthcare Science holds a voluntary register and will be seeking accreditation from the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

NHS: Drugs

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timescales are for delivering the commitment in the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme for his Department to work with industry and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support further consideration of issues and potential resolutions around the use of unlicensed comparators.

Norman Lamb: Departmental officials are working with industry and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to deliver the commitment in the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme relating to the use of unlicensed comparators in NICE technology appraisal guidance. There is no set time scale for delivery of this commitment as yet.

NHS: Finance

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the statement in the NHS Confederation's 2015 Challenge, that it is very possible that the current basis of the NHS, free for all at the point of need, will become unsustainable in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The principles underpinning the national health service, enshrined in the NHS Constitution, include that it provides a comprehensive service available to all based on clinical need and that NHS services are free of charge except in limited circumstances sanctioned by Parliament.
	Rising demands and continued fiscal constraint means that the NHS faces challenges in ensuring that it remains financially sustainable in the future. The Government believes that the answer to these challenges lies in changing the way services are delivered and keeping people well and independent for longer, not in altering the fundamental principles that underpin the NHS.

Respite Care

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve respite care provision in (a) Peterborough and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: A range of respite support is currently available in Peterborough including home based respite, day services, a Shared Lives scheme, residential respite and emergency respite. Over 2013-14 the Council spent £1.16 million on commissioned respite services amounting to 1,294 weeks of respite over the year. In addition, the Council and the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are working together to improve respite provision through joined up commissioning and multi-disciplinary approaches to assessment and case management. Peterborough City Council and Peterborough CCG will be using Better Care Fund opportunities to further develop carer support to meet the anticipated changes in the Care Bill.
	We have provided £400 million to the national health service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. From 2013, the allocation of resources to CCGs, including appropriate investment for carers' support and breaks, has been a matter for NHS England. In the 2013 spending review, we announced the £3.8.billion Better Care Fund, which includes £130 million funding for carers' breaks for 2015-16.
	The provisions in the Care Bill will help to ensure that local authorities, through a carer's assessment, meet a carer's eligible needs for support, including providing respite care.

Self-harm: Young People

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent incidents of self-harm in the under 18-years-old age group.

Norman Lamb: The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is there to support children of school age who are found to be self-harming.
	Spotting the signs of mental health problems early in children and young people is essential to prevent problems from escalating and continuing into adulthood. That is why on 25 March 2014 I launched an interactive e-learning programme via an ePortal. This is an educational and advice programme to improve mental health outcomes for children. Funded by the Department of Health, it will extend the skills and knowledge of NHS clinicians, staff working in other settings, such as teachers, social workers, and counsellors and supervisors working in a range of educational and youth organisations. This will also explore whether e-therapy options can be delivered to children and young people, such as computerised cognitive behavioural therapy.
	Children's mental health is a priority for this Government. That is why we are investing £54 million over the four year period 2011 to 2015 in the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme to drive service transformation in CAMHS—giving children and young people improved access to the best mental health care by embedding evidence based practice and making sure whole services use session by session outcome monitoring.
	Emergency departments should aim to refer all those who present with self-harm for a psychosocial assessment, as set out in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. We expect general practitioners to refer people who disclose self-harm to psychological therapies as appropriate. In the revised Public Health Outcomes Framework, we have therefore introduced a new indicator that is specifically about self-harm. Under this indication we will measure: attendances at emergency departments for self-harm per 100,000 population and percentage of attendances at emergency departments for self-harm that received a psychosocial assessment.
	The Department, with key partners, is currently looking at the options available for taking forward a new survey of children and young people to look at the prevalence of mental health conditions including self-harm. We are seeking advice on the options for the survey, and what such a survey would be able to tell us.
	Self harm has a strong association with subsequent suicide. At least half of all people who die by suicide have a history of self-harm so it should always be taken seriously, as evidence of underlying distress or mental illness. This is why the Government's suicide prevention strategy highlights people with a history of self-harm as a high risk group. We strongly support working closely with families and made this clear in the “Information sharing and suicide prevention: Consensus statement”, published alongside the first annual report on the suicide prevention strategy.

Tobacco: Packaging

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account he has taken of the decision by the Belgian Government not to pursue a policy of standard packaging of tobacco.

Jane Ellison: We are aware of the efforts of other countries to focus on reducing the harms associated with tobacco. It is for the Belgian Government to decide how it proceeds with tobacco control measures based on their national circumstances.

Annuities

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on average returns from annuities;
	(2)  what plans the Government has to ensure that a range of good value financial options are available for those approaching retirement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on (a) prices and (b) availability of annuities;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the price of an annuity for those with pension pots worth (a) £10,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £30,000, (d) £40,000, (e) £50,000 and (f) £100,000;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the availability of an annuity for those with pension pots worth (a) £10,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £30,000, (d) £40,000, (e) £50,000 and (f) £100,000.

David Gauke: At Budget, the Government announced significant reforms to the pensions market, giving people greater choice about how to access their defined contribution pension savings. The Government expects the change to the pensions market to stimulate innovation and new competition in the retirement income market. This new flexibility will help consumers choosing to buy an annuity to get a better deal in a much more competitive market place.
	The shape of the market will be driven by the choices consumers make, placing power back into the hands of savers. As retirement changes, many people may opt to buy an annuity later in life, allowing them to benefit from higher annuity rates or at a time that better suits their individual circumstances.

Business: Government Assistance

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funds were disbursed through the Enterprise Investment Scheme to film projects in each month since June 2010.

David Gauke: The information help on HMRC’s systems does not distinguish what funds have been raised through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) in film projects and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has reached an agreement with the Northern Ireland Executive not to impose financial penalties should the under-occupancy penalty fail to be introduced in Northern Ireland.

David Gauke: The Government has been clear that the delay in implementing welfare reforms is having a negative impact on the Exchequer and that the UK Government will, under the principles set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, seek to recover costs incurred from January 2014 onwards, including in relation to the removal of the spare room subsidy.

National Savings Bonds: Pensioners

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what criteria people will be eligible for the new pensioner bond.

Sajid Javid: National Savings and Investments (NS&I) products are open to investors with a UK bank account in their name, who can satisfy the products' terms and conditions. The fixed-rate savings bonds announced at Budget 2014 will be open to investors aged 65 and over, with precise terms and conditions of the products to be confirmed before launch.

Occupational Pensions

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effect of extending the rights to exercise choice in the future investment of the proceeds of defined contribution pensions to all pension holders who have bought an annuity since 6 April 2013.

David Gauke: Unwinding annuities bought since 6 April 2013 would involve interfering with contracts already concluded. It would undermine legal certainty and the rule of law if annuity providers were no longer able to rely on contracts which they had entered into in good faith, under the law as it then stood.
	An annuity carries a substitute cancellation right which acts as a 30 day cooling off period. In reaction to the recent announcements, many providers have extended this period to enable consumers to make more informed decisions. The Government is working with industry to ensure that those people who have purchased an annuity and are still within their cooling off period can take advantage of increased flexibility next year, and are not disadvantaged if they wish to do so.

Pensions

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the pension proposals on social care for the elderly. [R]

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the costs of social care in old age.

David Gauke: This measure fundamentally changes the way that people can access their retirement savings, and so depending on the decisions they make, people may increase or decrease their chances of being eligible for means tested services at some point in their retirement.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the change in the number of people who will rely wholly on the single tier state pension as a result of the planned changes to pensions from April 2015;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the impact of the planned changes to pensions on the number of people relying on (a) housing benefit, (b) pensioner credit and (c) other means-tested pensioner support.

David Gauke: The impact will depend on how people choose to use their pension savings, which is difficult to predict. Depending on the choices they make, people may be either more or less likely to become eligible for means tested benefits at some point in their retirement, compared with the current system. However we are talking about people who have saved for their future and therefore we would expect the numbers choosing to rely solely on welfare benefits to be small. The introduction of the single tier pension also means that fewer people would be eligible for pension credit even if they chose to rely on the state.
	The increased freedom and flexibility announced at the Budget will not change the size of the pension that people have, but will give them more options regarding how to use it. For that reason, we do not anticipate that it will change the number of people who rely wholly on the state pension to support them in retirement.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions from April 2015 on the availability of long-term investment funds for infrastructure projects.

David Gauke: The Government welcomes the increased appetite among insurers for investments in infrastructure. Insurers want to invest in infrastructure because the regular cash flow profile and potential long duration of these investments is attractive for backing long-term liabilities.
	The Government believes infrastructure assets will remain an attractive investment for the purpose of providing a regular source of income in retirement.
	The Government recognises the important role private sector defined benefit schemes play in funding long-term investment in the UK economy. The Government is consulting on whether to permit transfers from defined benefits schemes under the new freedoms.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what provision he has made for financial guidance for individuals on the planned changes to pensions;
	(2)  whether the guidance which the Government is proposing for those who access their pension savings at age 55 will be available at the point at which they (a) withdraw from their pensions savings or (b) enter full retirement;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the guidance that people receive as they approach the point of drawing down their pension will be both sufficient and independent;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority about changes in regulation of the financial services market to protect people accessing their pension savings at the age of 55;
	(5)  whether the guidance given to those approaching retirement will be a specific recommendation of a product to secure the best income in retirement.

David Gauke: At Budget, the Government announced significant reforms to the pensions market, giving people greater choice about how they access their defined contribution savings. Alongside this, the Government announced a new guarantee that everyone with a defined contribution pension will be offered free and impartial face to face guidance on their financial choices in retirement when they retire. The Government will introduce a new duty on pension providers and trust-based schemes to deliver this 'guidance guarantee' and this will take effect by April 2015. The Government is consulting on how best to deliver this guidance as part of its consultation, 'Flexibility and Choice in Pensions'.
	The guidance will ensure that consumers are empowered and equipped to make the most of their pension savings, and to make decisions that best suit their personal circumstances and risk appetite for the duration of their retirement.
	The Government has asked the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), working closely with the Pensions Regulator and the Department for Work and Pensions, to coordinate the development of robust standards for this guidance and a framework for monitoring compliance. In developing these standards the FCA will work in partnership with consumer groups, the Pensions Advisory Service, and the Money Advice Service.
	The Government intends that this guidance will be a critical step for consumers at the point of retirement, where they will be able to talk through available options and explore those which could best suit their personal circumstances. It will be impartial and will not recommend specific products or providers.
	The Government also recognises that people may need financial guidance later in retirement as their circumstances change. The Government is seeking views as part of the consultation on what more can be done to ensure that guidance is available at key decision points during retirement.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  who will provide face-to-face financial guidance introduced as a result of the planned changes to pensions;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the costs of providing free financial guidance to people at the point of retirement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the capacity of the financial services sector to provide face-to-face guidance to 500,000 people a year;
	(4)  if he will publish the analysis underlying the decision to allocate £20 million to the provision of consumer advice for pensions;
	(5)  if he will publish the analysis underlying the feasibility of delivering face-to-face financial guidance to an additional 500,000 people from April 2015.

David Gauke: The Government announced at Budget a new guarantee that everyone with defined contribution pension savings will be offered free and impartial face-to-face guidance at the point of retirement on their financial choices.
	The guidance guarantee builds on the Association of British Insurers' (ABI) commitment that pension providers will provide, at the point of retirement:
	“a conversation for customers with their pension provider or an impartial advice or guidance service about their retirement options.”
	However the Government wants to go further by ensuring that all consumers reaching retirement receive good quality guidance that meets their needs and stimulates active and informed choices.
	The Government is specifically consulting, as part of its consultation, 'Flexibility and Choice in Pensions', on whether pension providers should be allowed to deliver this guidance themselves (in accordance with strict standards) or whether it must always be delivered by independent third parties.
	The Government has been clear that a duty will be placed on pension providers to offer and fund this guidance guarantee. The Government's aim is that the guidance guarantee meets consumers' needs and works in their interests, and is delivered efficiently and in a way which avoids unnecessary compliance cost.
	The Government is making available a development fund of up to £20 million to get this initiative up and running; it could be used, for example, to develop tools and materials, training or capacity building. Further details on how the development fund could be spent and disbursed will be published in the summer as part of the Government's response.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on (a) low, (b) middle and (c) higher income earners.

David Gauke: The proposed changes will enable individuals to access their defined contribution pension savings as they wish at the point of retirement, subject to their marginal rate of income tax (rather than the current 55% charge for full withdrawal): Under the previous system, only individuals with less than £18,000 of total pension savings, and those with a guaranteed annual income in retirement of over £20,000 (the equivalent of a pension pot of around £310,000 at today's annuity rates) were allowed full flexibility. The changes the Government proposes will entitle everyone to full flexibility regardless of their total defined contribution pension savings.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provisions will be in place to ensure people retain assets to support them in very old age.

David Gauke: The proposed changes will ensure that individuals benefit from having additional flexibility and choice over how they access their pension savings. The Government recognises that people will need the right support and guidance to make decisions that best suit their evolving personal circumstances. The Government will therefore introduce a new 'guidance guarantee' to ensure that everyone approaching retirement receives free and impartial face-to-face guidance on their available choices.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the need to reform pensions tax relief.

David Gauke: The planned changes do not affect pensions tax relief during the accumulation phase. This Government has already taken action to restrict the generosity of pensions tax relief to make it affordable by legislating to restrict the annual and lifetime allowances.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the average cost of independent financial advice;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the average cost of face-to-face financial guidance.

David Gauke: The Government is currently consulting on how best to deliver the 'at retirement guidance guarantee' announced at Budget through its consultation 'Freedom and Choice in Pensions'.
	The Government has made available a development fund of up to £20 million to get the guidance initiative up and running. Ongoing delivery costs of this guidance to consumers will be met by providers.
	The Government intends that this guidance will be a critical step for consumers at the point of retirement, where they will be able to talk through available options and explore those which could best suit their personal circumstances. This guidance is not designed to replace the services of professional financial advice, and many consumers will want to seek further assistance or advice following their guidance session, in particular to help them purchase a product. The Government is working with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to explore the extent to which regulated advice can be made more affordable through more cost effective delivery, such as through the development of online delivery channels.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions for low and middle pensioner income.

David Gauke: The proposed changes will enable individuals to access their defined contribution pension savings as they wish at the point of retirement, subject to their marginal rate of income tax (rather than the current 55% charge for full withdrawal). Under the previous system, only individuals with less than £18,000 of total pension savings, and those with a guaranteed annual income in retirement of over £20,000 (the equivalent of a pension pot of around £310,000 at today's annuity rates) were allowed full flexibility. The changes the Government proposes will entitle everyone to full flexibility regardless of their total defined contribution pension savings.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish the analysis underlying the costings of the policy of reducing the withdrawal tax rate for income from pensions from 55 per cent to the marginal rate of income tax;
	(2)  what assumption he has made about the number of (a) basic, (b) higher and (c) additional rate tax payers who will cease to purchase an annuity as a result of the changes announced in Budget 2014;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the effect on revenue of the planned changes to the pensions system in each year from 2016 to 2025;
	(4)  what assumptions he has made about the number of people who will continue to take out an annuity;
	(5)  what estimate has been made of the total amount of pensions savings which will be withdrawn from pension schemes in each of the 15 financial years from April 2015.

David Gauke: At Budget 2014, the Government announced changes which give greater flexibility to many individuals with private pension savings.
	(i) The methodology behind this costing—which was certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility—can be seen in the 'Budget 2014: Policy Costings' document (p.11), available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf
	(ii) Estimates of the number of individuals paying different marginal rates who will cease to purchase an annuity are not available.
	(iii) The expected impact over the forecast period of the changes can be found in Table 2.1 (p.56) of the Red Book here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293759/37630_Budget_2014_Web_Accessible.pdf
	The estimated long run income tax impact may be found in Chart 1.11 also published in the Red Book (p.45).
	(iv) As can be seen in the 'Budget 2014: Policy Costings' document, the Government estimates that around 30% of people in defined contribution schemes will decide to drawdown their pension at a faster rate than via an annuity.
	(v) An estimate of the total amount of pension savings withdrawn from .pension schemes in each of the 15 financial years from April 2015 is not available.
	It is estimated that these changes will promote greater saving into pension schemes as described in the 'Budget 2014: Policy Costings' document (p.12), as certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility. This is available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf

VAT: Individual Savings Accounts

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that HM Revenue and Customs refunds unnecessary payments of VAT on ISAs.

David Gauke: Any VAT paid to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that is not properly due will be refunded subject to the normal rules. Guidance on how VAT registered businesses can recover overpaid tax can be found on the HMRC website.

Bus Services: Disability

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2014, Official Report, column 693W, on bus services: disability, how many public service vehicles (a) in each region and (b) operated by each operator have been issued with PSVAR certificates.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 March 2014, Official Report, column 693W. As indicated there the Department for Transport's annual bus statistics (published in September 2013) show that 78% of buses in England have been issued with PSVAR certificates, while 92% of buses are low floor.
	The following table provides a breakdown of PSVAR certificates for each region:
	
		
			 Region Buses with certificates Percentage buses having certificates 
			 East Midlands 1,400 72 
			 East of England 1,970 67 
			 London 8,880 97 
			 North East 1,370 73 
			 North West 3,900 76 
			 South East 2,690 71 
			 South West 1,950 63 
			 West Midlands 2,730 77 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,800 69 
			 England 27,680 78 
		
	
	The figures in this table are compiled from annual operator returns to the Department for Transport, which are not broken down by region. To compile the regional level estimates, each operator has been assigned to its main region of operation.
	The returns are made under the Statistics of Trade Act 1947, and figures for individual operators are therefore considered as commercially confidential.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if he will list the registration rates for students in higher education institutions in the UK in ranked order for the most recent period available.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold data on the registration rates of students by higher education institution.
	The Commission has conducted an analysis of the results of the dry run of the confirmation process to be used during the transition to IER. This indicated that students were one of the groups less likely to be matched against the Department for Work and Pensions database.
	This analysis and all the associated data is available to EROs across the country. This has allowed them to identify areas, such as those with large student populations, where they may need to target more of their resources in order to maintain or improve levels of registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Student Loans Company database has been used for purposes of maximising student registration.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the Student Loans Company (SLC) database was used during two data matching pilot projects which were organised by the Cabinet Office and evaluated by the Commission.
	These pilots aimed to test the usefulness of giving Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) access to information held on national, public databases in order to improve the accuracy and completeness of their electoral register by identifying unregistered people.
	In their evaluation of both pilots the Commission concluded that the Student Loans Company data was of limited use in identifying unregistered people.
	The Commission's two evaluation reports can be found here:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/_data/assets/pdf_file/0010/146836/Data-rnatching-pilot-evaluation.pdf
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/_data/assets/pdf_file/0003/156189/Data-mining-pilot-evaluation-report.pdf

Voting Behaviour

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the differential turnout was between the highest and lowest income group in each general election for which such data is available.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold this data. Some information on how turnout varies by socio-demographic factors is available from an analysis of public opinion polls carried out by Ipsos MORI around general elections. The data for 2010 can be found here:
	http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/2613/How-Britain-Voted-in

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter to him dated 20 February 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms T Morris.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has replied to the hon. Member's letter and the response will be with him shortly.

Confiscation Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what value of confiscation orders were (a) issued and (b) uncollected in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how many confiscation orders (a) were issued and (b) went uncollected in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Shailesh Vara: The value of confiscation orders imposed and the amounts outstanding for those orders, both with and without interest, as at 30 January 2014, for the calendar years from 2010 onwards, are set out in Table A as follows. The volume of orders imposed and those that remain outstanding is in Table B
	
		
			 Table A 
			 £ 
			  Value of confiscation orders imposed Order balance remaining to collect excluding interest (as at 30 January 2014) 
			 2010 276,143,735 167,176,784 
			 2011 187,128,205 73,910,472 
			 2012 271,998,720 162,286,156 
			 2013 245,728,131 176,875,895 
			 Total 980,998,791 580,249,307 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B 
			 £ 
			  Volume of confiscation orders imposed Volume of orders with an order balance remaining to collect excluding interest (as at 30 January 2014) Total volume of orders to collect including interest (as at 30 January 2014) 
			 2010 6,214 915 2,289 
			 2011 6,286 1,065 2,342 
			 2012 6,458 1,386 2,399 
			 2013 6,139 2,500 3,141 
			 Total 25,097 5,866 10,171 
		
	
	Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. The value of the order imposed, which is often very high, is based on the criminal benefit attributed to the crime and may, therefore, exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an outstanding order stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if the assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other enforcement agencies take the issue of recovering criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide.
	Although, as the Enforcement Authority, HMCTS owns the debt, it is not always the lead enforcement agency. HMCTS tends to lead on the high volume, low value orders. Prosecution agencies, including the CPS and the Serious Fraud Office, lead on enforcement where they have put Restraint Orders on the defendant's property to protect the asset, or where the professional expertise of an Enforcement Receiver will be required to enforce the confiscation order.
	All outstanding amounts are actively pursued using a range of enforcement tools open to us. A confiscation order is a life time order and only amounts up to £50 can be written off. Default sentences of up to 10 years in prison are activated for non payment. Serving the default sentence does not cancel the debt and we will continue to pursue the amount owed. Interest is added to the order balance outstanding at the rate of 8% per annum. The fact that interest accrues at such a high rate and amounts over £50 cannot be written off, contribute to the increasing level of debt. At the end of December 2013, the total amount outstanding was £1.47 billion, of which £372 million was interest alone. At the end of December 2013, including interest £24 million is owed by defendants who are deceased and a further £86 million is owed by defendants who have been deported. Even for those that are deported we still try to actively pursue the defendants assets held abroad, but we rely on the cooperation of overseas enforcement agencies, which is often not forthcoming. The agencies responsible for enforcement are building better relationships with overseas authorities and engage specialist forensic teams to track down hidden assets.
	The amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies reached an all time high during 2012-13, with a total of £133.1 million recovered. That represented a 7% increase on the £124.1 million recovered during 2011-12. The total amount recovered has increased for the last four consecutive years and once again we are on course to have another record breaking year this financial year. For the 2013-14 financial year, at the end of December 2013, £102.8 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 2% on the £100.5 million that was collected up to December 2012. Since 2008-09, when £98.8 million was recovered, the amount collected from criminals has increased by 35%.
	HMCTS is seeking a commercial partner to help increase collections, reduce enforcement costs and importantly, ensure more criminals pay. A new national system has been implemented to manage the collection of fixed penalty notices, with all of the police forces having transferred to the new platform by June 2013.The continuing improvement the agencies are making combined with our future plans will ensure that more criminals pay and that taxpayers get better value for money.

Confiscation Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many outstanding confiscation orders were written off in each year since 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The volume of confiscation orders reduced or written off from 2010 to 2013 is recorded in Table A, while the value of amounts reduced or written off is recorded in Table B.
	
		
			 Table A: Volume of confiscation orders written off 
			 Category 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total 
			 DTOA Default Served 4 2 4 2 12 
			 Inadequacy 202 202 163 185 752 
			 POCA s24 Discharge 43 61 42 29 175 
			 POCA s25 Discharge 124 72 37 42 275 
			 Reconsideration of Available Assets 401 474 567 521 1,963 
			 Grand total 774 811 813 779 3,177 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Value of confiscation orders written off 
			 £ 
			 Category 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total 
			 DTOA Default Served 47,101 882,064 1,162,397 22,082 2,113,644 
			 Inadequacy 5,707,742 8,924,637 3,673,845 11,815,275 30,121,499 
			 POCA s24 Discharge 70,030 780,328 335,969 483,443 1,669,770 
			 POCA s25 Discharge 1,479 980 797 1,179 4,435 
			 Reconsideration of Available Assets 8,019,707 21,235,494 16,739,659 20,158,107 66,152,967 
			 Grand total 13,846,059 31,823,503 21,912,667 32,480,086 100,062,315 
		
	
	Following are explanations of the limited ways an outstanding confiscation order can be reduced or written off.
	Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 (DTOA) Default Served
	Serving the default sentence of up to 10 years for non payment of a confiscation order under this pre-Proceeds Of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) legislation cancels the amount outstanding in full.
	Inadequacy
	Under pre-POCA legislation the defendant can make an application to the High Court, for a fee of £350, to apply for a Certificate of Inadequacy (COI) to reduce the order amount where assets have not achieved the value assessed at the confiscation hearing.
	POCA s24 Discharge
	The Enforcement Authority can apply to the Crown court to reduce amounts up to £1,000 where they are satisfied the value of the asset has not met the value assessed at the confiscation hearing. The most likely cause for this is fluctuations in foreign currency.
	POCA s25 Discharge
	The Enforcement Authority can apply to the Crown court to discharge amounts up to £50, where there is little prospect of recovering the small amount outstanding or it is no longer cost effective to do so.
	Reconsideration of Available Assets
	Under POCA legislation the defendant can make an application to the Crown court, to apply for a Variation Order to reduce the order amount where assets have not achieved the value assessed at the confiscation hearing. Unlike a pre-POCA COI application, no fee is payable.
	Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. The value of the order imposed, which is often very high, is based on the criminal benefit attributed to the crime and may, therefore, exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an outstanding order stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if the assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other enforcement agencies take the issue of recovering criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide.
	Although, as the Enforcement Authority, HMCTS owns the debt, it is not always the lead enforcement agency. HMCTS tends to lead on the high volume, low value orders. Prosecution agencies, including the CPS and the Serious Fraud Office, lead on enforcement where they have put Restraint Orders on the defendant's property to protect the asset, or where the professional expertise of an Enforcement Receiver will be required to enforce the confiscation order.
	All outstanding amounts are actively pursued using a range of enforcement tools open to us. A confiscation order is a life time order and only amounts up to £50 can be written off. Default sentences of up to 10 years in prison are activated for non payment. Serving the default sentence does not cancel the debt and we will continue to pursue the amount owed. Interest is added to the order balance outstanding at the rate of 8% per annum, The fact that interest accrues at such a high rate and amounts over £50 cannot be written off, contribute to the increasing level of debt. At the end of December 2013, the total amount outstanding was £1.47 billion, of which £372 million was interest alone. At the end of December 2013, including interest £24 million is owed by defendants who are deceased and a further £86 million is owed by defendants who have been deported. Even for those that are deported we still try to actively pursue the defendants assets held abroad, but we rely on the cooperation of overseas enforcement agencies, which is often not forthcoming. The agencies responsible for enforcement are building better relationships with overseas authorities and engage specialist forensic teams to track down hidden assets.
	The amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies reached an all time high during 2012-13, with a total of £133.1 million recovered. That represented a 7% increase on the £124.1 million recovered during 2011-12. The total amount recovered has increased for the last four consecutive years and once again we are on course to have another record breaking year this financial year. For the 2013-14 financial year, at the end of December 2013, £102.8 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 2% on the £100.5 million that was collected up to December 2012. Since 2008-09, when £98.8 million was recovered, the amount collected from criminals has increased by 35%.
	HMCTS is seeking a commercial partner to help increase collections, reduce enforcement costs and importantly, ensure more criminals pay. A new national system has been implemented to manage the collection of fixed penalty notices, with all of the police forces having transferred to the new platform by June 2013.The continuing improvement the agencies are making combined with our future plans will ensure that more criminals pay and that taxpayers get better value for money.

Confiscation Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the value of outstanding confiscation orders was on 31 December (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013;
	(2)  how many outstanding confiscation orders there were on 31 December (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Shailesh Vara: Our accounts are based on financial years as opposed to calendar years; therefore the value and volume of outstanding confiscation orders as at 31 March, from 2010 through to 2013, are set out in the table.
	However, as at 31 December 2013, there were 20,634 outstanding confiscation orders totalling £1,466,924,522 including interest. Excluding interest the figure is £1,094,584,445.
	
		
			  Volume of orders outstanding Value of orders outstanding (£) 
			 As at 31 March: Excluding interest Including interest Excluding interest Including interest 
			 2010 6,359 12,771 711,409,802 870,804,796 
			 2011 7,488 15,227 1,046,473,308 1,254,278,825 
			 2012 8,397 17,440 915,151,064 1,195,167,499 
			 2013 9,295 19,727 1,055,230,330 1,406,638,265 
		
	
	During 2011-12, two successful appeals with a combined total of £184.7 million were reduced to a total of £32.3 million. This reduced the outstanding debt by £152.4 million.
	Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. The value of the order imposed, which is often very high, is based on the criminal benefit attributed to the crime and may, therefore, exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an outstanding order stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if the assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other enforcement agencies take the issue of recovering criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide.
	Although, as the Enforcement Authority, HMCTS owns the debt, it is not always the lead enforcement agency. HMCTS tends to lead on the high volume, low value orders. Prosecution agencies, including the CPS and the Serious Fraud Office, lead on enforcement where they have put Restraint Orders on the defendant's property to protect the asset, or where the professional expertise of an Enforcement Receiver will be required to enforce the confiscation order.
	All outstanding amounts are actively pursued using a range of enforcement tools open to us. A confiscation order is a life time order and only amounts up to £50 can be written off. Default sentences of up to 10 years in prison are activated for non payment. Serving the default sentence does not cancel the debt and we will continue to pursue the amount owed, Interest is added to the order balance outstanding at the rate of 8% per annum. The fact that interest accrues at such a high rate and amounts over £50 cannot be written off, contribute to the increasing level of debt. At the end of December 2013, the total amount outstanding was £1.47 billion, of which £372 million was interest alone. At the end of December 2013, including interest £24 million is owed by defendants who are deceased and a further £86 million is owed by defendants who have been deported. Even for those that are deported we still try to actively pursue the defendants assets held abroad, but we rely on the cooperation of overseas enforcement agencies, which is often not forthcoming. The Agencies responsible for enforcement are building better relationships with overseas authorities and engage specialist forensic teams to track down hidden assets.
	The amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies reached an all time high during 2012-13, with a total of £133.1 million recovered. That represented a 7% increase on the £124.1 million recovered during 2011-12. The total amount recovered has increased for the last four consecutive years and once again we are on course to have another record breaking year this financial year. For the 2013-14 financial year, at the end of December 2013, £102.8 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 2% on the £100.5 million that was collected up to December 2012. Since 2008-09, when £98.8 million was recovered, the amount collected from criminals has increased by 35%.
	HMCTS is seeking a commercial partner to help increase collections, reduce enforcement costs and importantly, ensure more criminals pay. A new national system has been implemented to manage the collection of fixed penalty notices, with all of the police forces having transferred to the new platform by June 2013.The continuing improvement the agencies are making combined with our future plans will ensure that more criminals pay and that taxpayers get better value for money.

Crown Courts

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost was of an either way office case dealt with at the Crown court where (a) a guilty plea was entered at the magistrates court and (b) a guilty plea was entered on the day of trial at the Crown court in the latest period for which figures are available.

Shailesh Vara: There are a number of different ways costs of cases can be estimated, depending on how indirect costs are apportioned, resulting in a range of cost estimates for these cases. The latest period for which data are available is 2012-13 (up-rated to 2013-14 prices).
	(a) The cost of an either way guilty plea entered at the magistrates court is estimated to be between £210 and £270 (to the nearest £10).
	(b) A guilty plea entered on the day of a trial at the Crown court would result in a cracked trial. The cost of a cracked trial in the Crown court is estimated to be between £1,200 and £2,000 (to the nearest £100).
	These figures do not include legal aid costs.
	Sentencing Council Guidelines to the judiciary encourage early guilty pleas by setting out a scale of 'credit' for a guilty plea to be applied that varies from a reduction of one third in any sentence for an early plea, to 10% for a guilty plea entered at the point of trial.

Crown Courts

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost was of a (a) jury trial at the Crown Court for (i) either way offences sent by magistrates where their sentencing powers were not deemed sufficient, (ii) either way offences where the defendant has chosen to elect jury trial and (iii) indictable only offences and (b) trial in a magistrates' court for (i) summary only offences and (ii) either way offences in the latest period for which figures are available.

Shailesh Vara: The information requested is not currently available in full. An analysis of criminal court costs is based on average timings from Activity Based Costing allocations models. Some of the timings in the models are based on a timing survey, conducted in a representative sample of courts. Undertaking a new survey to support an analysis of costs in a different way to that currently available could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	Some of the information is available. There are a number of different ways costs of cases can be estimated, depending on how indirect costs are apportioned. Estimates shown are based on 2012-13 costs (up-rated to 2013-14 prices).
	Costs at the Crown Court are analysed by offence type (criminal damage, burglary, drug offences etc.) rather than by how the offence has come to be heard in the Crown Court. Estimates are based on average trial lengths—individual trials for any given case may be longer or shorter. The lower and upper trial cost estimates shown are the weighted average of upper and lower estimates for all either way or indictable offence types.
	Summary offences in the magistrates court have been split into motoring and non-motoring offence types.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Estimated average costs Lower Higher 
			 In the Crown court (Either way or indictable trial in the Crown court)   
		
	
	
		
			 Committed for trial 5,500 6,400 
			 Sent for trail 9,500 10,500 
			    
			 In the Magistrates court   
			 Summary motoring trial 500 600 
			 Summary non-motoring trial 1,000 1,300 
			 Either way trial in the magistrates court 1,300 1,700 
			 Notes: 1. These figures do not include legal aid costs. 2. Costs shown to the nearest £100.

Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the total amount is of fines issued by the courts between 2010 and 2013 which remain uncollected;
	(2)  what the total amount is of fines (a) issued by the courts and (b) uncollected was in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(3)  what the value was of fines that were (a) issued and (b) uncollected in each of the last four years.

Shailesh Vara: The value of fines imposed, collected, cancelled and outstanding for the periods from April 2011 onwards are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Period Value of fines imposed Value of fine collected in the same period they were imposed Value of fines cancelled in the same period they were imposed Value of fines imposed outstanding at the end of the period 
			 April 2011 to December 2011 170,962,169 54,843,753 12,470,347 103,648,069 
			 January 2012 to December 2012 273,994,704 70,032,092 17,470,412 186,442,200 
			 January 2013 to September 2013 (latest published period) 210,561,372 44,541,677 11,548,807 154,470,888 
		
	
	The values above only refer to fines and not any other elements of financial impositions such as prosecutor costs, compensation and victim surcharge. Where financial impositions are paid by instalments the fine element is the last part to be paid off after compensation, victim surcharge and prosecutor costs. The values cancelled can relate to legal or administrative cancellations. The value outstanding will include amounts remaining on accounts that are being paid by instalments or were not due for payment by the end of the period specified.
	It is not possible to provide data in this format for any period prior to April 2011 as new performance management information was introduced at that time. It is not possible to identify how much of the amounts imposed in 2011 or 2012 remained outstanding by the end of September 2013 (latest published data period) as data is only available for 18 months after the date imposed—after that it is not possible to extract the amount outstanding for a specific period from the total balance outstanding.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year. At the end of September 2013 total collection (all imposition types excluding confiscation orders) was higher than the same point in the previous year and the outstanding balance had reduced since the start of the financial year. On average over the last 12 months 69% of accounts have been either closed or are compliant with payment terms by 12 months after imposition.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fines have been (a) issued by courts and (b) collected in 2013-14 to date.

Shailesh Vara: For the financial year to date, 1 April 2013 to 30 September 2013 (latest published data) 614,693 financial imposition accounts were opened. Of those accounts opened in that period, 182,183 accounts were closed. A further 199,623 accounts were compliant with their payment terms.
	Financial impositions include fines imposed in the magistrates and Crown courts, costs orders, compensation orders, victim surcharge orders and unpaid fixed penalty notices and penalty notices for disorder which are registered as fines for enforcement. The numbers of accounts closed is the position as at the end of September 2013 and those accounts outstanding could now have been closed or collected.. Accounts that are closed are accounts with a zero balance which could have been by payment or administrative or legal cancellation.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year. At the end of September 2013 total collection (all imposition types excluding confiscation orders) was higher than the same point in the previous year and the outstanding balance had reduced since the start of the financial year. On average over the last 12 months 69% of accounts have been either closed or are compliant with payment terms by 12 months after imposition.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average fine was for people found guilty of non-payment of (a) a television licence, (b) vehicle excise duty and (c) council tax in each of the last four years.

Shailesh Vara: The average amount of the number of fines issued to defendants proceeded against in magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for installing or using a television receiver without the appropriate licence, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in Table 1.
	The average amount of the number of fines issued to defendants proceeded against in magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for keeping a motor vehicle on the highway without a current vehicle excise licence, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in Table 2
	Failure to pay council tax is not a criminal offence so cannot be dealt with by a fine.
	
		
			 Table 1: Average fine of number of fines issued to defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences of installing or using a television receiver without the appropriate licence1, England and Wales, 2008 to 20122, 3, 4 
			 Outcome 20085 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Average fine (£) 154.11 166.68 170.51 169.41 169.29 
			 1 An offence under S 363 of the Communications Act 2003. 2 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when this data is used. 4 The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. 5 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Average fine or number of fines issued to defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced for keeping a motor vehicle on the highway without a current vehicle excise licence1, England and Wales 2008 to 20122, 3, 4 
			 Outcome 20085 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Average fine (£) 157.44 215.25 219.78 219.43 261.16 
			 1 An offence under section 29 (1-3) of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994. 2 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when this data is used. 4 The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. 5 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Fines: Surcharges

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much in victim surcharge has been imposed by adult courts since October 2012; and how much of that figure has been collected to date.

Shailesh Vara: The amount of victim surcharge imposed and collected from October 2012 to September 2013 (latest published period) is set out as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Imposition month Amount imposed Amount collected by end of September 2013 
			 October 2012 1,253,491 826,583 
			 November 2012 1,460,874 941,311 
			 December 2012 1,263,756 788,671 
			 January 2013 1,900,543 1,158,226 
			 February 2013 1,869,900 1,068,110 
			 March 2013 2,086,393 1,139,143 
			 April 2013 2,424,548 1,240,960 
			 May 2013 2,543,344 1,201,270 
			 June 2013 2,556,998 1,096,358 
			 July 2013 2,982,204 1,096,130 
			 August 2013 2,707,508 776,618 
			 September 2013 2,626,937 357,217 
			 Total 25,676,496 11,690,597 
		
	
	The balance of the amount imposed that is remaining at the end of the period will include amounts that are being paid by instalments or were not due for payment by that time. The closer to the point of imposition the greater the proportion will be that remains outstanding as many offenders will be paying by instalments.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Total collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Judicial Review

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on Judicial Review, what further assessment has been made of the reasons for the increase in the number of applications for judicial review.

Shailesh Vara: The use of judicial review more than tripled between 2000 and 2013, from around 4,300 applications to around 15,700. The increase has been driven mainly by immigration and asylum cases but civil judicial reviews have increased by around 27% over the same period, from 1,745 in 2000 to 2,210 in 2013.
	In 2012 only around 1,400 of 7,600 applications considered for permission, including at an oral renewal, were granted permission to proceed to a final hearing. Between 1 October 2012 and 31 December 2013 around 30% of judicial reviews which reached the permission stage or oral renewal were found to be totally without merit.
	The Government is determined to improve the judicial review process. The rationale for the Government's reforms is set out in 'Judicial review: further proposals for reform—the Government response':
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review
	The Government is determined to improve the judicial review process so that it is not open to abuse and arguable cases can proceed quickly to final resolution.
	The Government is clear that judicial review is, and will remain, an important means to ensure the actions of Government and other bodies are lawful.

Judicial Review

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his article published in the Daily Mail on 6 September 2013, what the evidential basis was for his statement that countless left-wing campaigners are using the judicial review system as a promotional tool.

Shailesh Vara: The rationale for the Government's reforms is set out in 'Judicial review: further proposals for reform—the Government response':
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review
	The Government is determined to improve the judicial review process so that it is not open to abuse and arguable cases can proceed quickly to final resolution.
	Most of the Government's reforms to judicial review are being taken forward through the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill which will be subject to the full and proper scrutiny of Parliament.

Magistrates' Courts: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was levied in fines by each magistrates court in Greater Manchester in each of the last five years; what proportion of such fines were written off by each court; and what proportion of such fines were collected.

Shailesh Vara: It is not possible to identify the amounts imposed, written off and collected for individual magistrates courts as data on fines imposed are recorded by local accounting divisions. The only way data for individual courts could be obtained is to carry out a manual search of all fine accounts.
	The total amounts imposed, written off and collected in the Greater Manchester accounting division are set out as follows.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Total imposed Total administratively cancelled Total legally cancelled Total collected 
			 2008-09 19,635,012 1,902,853 2,805,105 11,673,192 
			 2009-10 19,267,431 1,973,017 3,019,911 11,802,052 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 22,558,446 1,229,895 2,847,562 12,063,589 
			 2011-12 19,125,753 2,216,073 3,933,432 12,265,100 
			 2012-13 21,654,640 2,204,046 4,586,675 12,952,842 
		
	
	The amounts above include all elements of financial impositions (excluding confiscation orders): fines, costs, compensation and victim surcharge. The amounts cancelled or collected in a particular year can relate to impositions from that year or any previous year.
	Financial penalties are only administratively cancelled after all attempts to collect the amount outstanding have been made, and in accordance with strict cancellation criteria. These penalties can be written back on to the system if more information is found—for instance, a new address for the offender.
	Legal cancellations can be applied after the case has been reconsidered by a judge or magistrate. Typically, legal cancellations are used where a case has been re-opened and the defendant has been found not guilty, following the presentation of additional information. Legal cancellations can be full or partial remittances of financial penalties.
	The following table sets out how much of the value imposed in Greater Manchester in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 financial years was collected or cancelled by the end of the same financial year which it was imposed. These data are only available from April 2011 onwards.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Imposed Collected Cancelled (administrative and legal) 
			 2011-12 19,125,753 6,036,385 1,832,554 
			 2012-13 21,654,640 6,537,941 3,111,387 
		
	
	The amounts above again include all elements of financial impositions. The balance amount imposed that is remaining at the end of the financial year will include amounts that were being paid by instalments or were not due for payment by that time.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Total collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year. At the end of September 2013 total collection (all imposition types excluding confiscation orders) across HMCTS was higher than the same point in the previous year and the outstanding balance had reduced since the start of the financial year. On average over the last 12 months 69% of accounts have been either closed or are compliant with payment terms by 12 months after imposition.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Prison Service: North East

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which (a) prisons and (b) young offender institutions in the North East have had members of staff take detached duty since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: A nationally co-ordinated detached duty scheme has been operating since 21 October 2013. Staff from the following public sector prisons and young offender institutions in the north east have been on detached duty between 21 October 2013 and 31 December 2013: Deerbolt, Durham, Holme House, Kirklevington Grange, Low Newton and Northumberland.
	The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing. Deployment outside of the nationally co-ordinated scheme which began in October is not recorded centrally. For this reason, information on the number of establishments and staff using detached duty prior to 21 October 2013 is not available.

Prison Service: North East

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of each (a) prison and (b) young offender institutions in the North East were made redundant in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: No staff were made redundant in any public sector prison or young offender institution in the north east between 2010 and 2013.

Security

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many breaches of security have been reported at (a) HM Courts Service, (b) the Land Registry, (c) the National Offender Management Service, (d) the National Archives, (e) the Office of the Public Guardian and (f) the Tribunals Service in each year since May 2010; and what procedures each agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data.

Shailesh Vara: The following table provides the number of centrally recorded security incidents (breaches of security resulting in actual or potential harm) that have occurred during each financial year since 1 April 2010.
	
		
			  1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 1 April 2013 to 31 December 2013 
			 HM Courts Service1 2,845 - - - 
			 Tribunals Service1 577 - - - 
			 HM Courts and Tribunals Service1 - 5,077 3,101 2,421 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 679 446 485 389 
			 The National Archives 3 1 5 0 
			 The National Offender Management Service2 8,287 9,298 10,052 8,492 
			 1 HM Courts Service and the Tribunals Service merged in April 2011 and became HM Courts and Tribunals Service and therefore these details are not recorded separately. 2 Includes the number of incidents involving physical security in prisons. 
		
	
	Responsibility for HM Land Registry was transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in July 2011 and therefore the Ministry of Justice does not hold this information.
	The figures include a wide range of types of incident, including loss of IT equipment (which would usually be password protected or encrypted to protect the information); verbal abuse and threats to court staff, judiciary and members of the public; and a wide variety of incidents in prisons.
	The Department and its agencies apply robust incident management processes, including a requirement for staff to report breaches resulting in potential harm/loss to assets (information, people, buildings and equipment).
	When a security incident involving the disclosure of personal data is identified prompt action is taken locally to limit harm and residual action is then taken to seek to alleviate further recurrence.

Translation Services

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much HM Courts and Tribunal Service spent on interpreters in 2011, 2012 and 2013; how much was spent on interpreting each language in those years; and how much was paid by defendants towards these costs.

Shailesh Vara: The Department does not hold centrally all of the information that the hon. Member has requested. Although we cannot provide all the data on spend for the periods requested we can provide the annual spend for interpreters sourced through the Capita-TI Contract for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service as follows:
	
		
			 Calendar year Total (£) 
			 2012 7,940,128.79 
		
	
	
		
			 2013 15,537,821.29 
		
	
	Off contract bookings made by HMCTS are outside of these spend figures. The number of bookings made off contract has substantially decreased since the start of 2012 with those bookings moving onto the Capita TI contract. This move from off contract to Capita TI is reflected in the changing year on year contract spend.
	Spend for 2012 is based on an 11 month period as the contract did not go live until 30 January 2012. Expenditure has also increased in the second year of contract due to changes made to the contract in May 2013 and an estimated 20% increase on volume. £15 million was saved in year one of the contract.
	In this instance to provide the requested information on total annual spend and spend by language, would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £850.00 or 4½ working days.
	In order to provide the information we would be required to obtain a number of large reports from electronic databases. The relevant data must then be manually extracted and collated. It would also require comparison against additional financial data before analysis. We estimate that this process for the spend data would take approximately six working days given the volume of data involved.
	Defendants in criminal cases do not contribute towards the costs of interpreters that are provided by HMCTS. Charges for HMCTS provided interpreters in civil, family and tribunal cases are not passed directly to parties, although the costs may be recovered from court and tribunal fees in the jurisdictions where they apply.

Unpaid Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total value was of fines remaining uncollected on 31 December (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Shailesh Vara: The value of fines imposed, collected, cancelled and outstanding for the periods from April 2011 onwards are set as follows.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Period Value of fines imposed Value of fine collected in the same period they were imposed Value of fines cancelled in the same period they were imposed Value of fines imposed outstanding at the end of the period 
			 April 2011 to December 2011 170,962,169 54,843,753 12,470,347 103,648,069 
			 January 2012 to December 2012 273,944,704 70,032,092 17,470,412 186,442,200 
			 January 2013 to September 2013 (latest published period) 210,561,372 44,541,677 11,548,807 154,470,888 
		
	
	The values above only refer to fines and not any other elements of financial impositions such as prosecutor costs, compensation and victim surcharge. Where financial impositions are paid by instalments the fine element is the last part to be paid off after compensation, victim surcharge and prosecutor costs. The values cancelled can relate to legal or administrative cancellations. The value outstanding will include amounts remaining on accounts that are being paid by instalments or were not due for payment by the end of the period specified.
	It is not possible to provide data in this format for any period prior to April 2011 as new performance management information was introduced at that time. It is not possible to identify how much of the amounts imposed in 2011 or 2012 remained outstanding by the end of September 2013 (latest published data period) as data are only available for 18 months after the date imposed—after that it is not possible to extract the amount outstanding for a specific period from the total balance outstanding.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year. At the end of September 2013 total collection (all imposition types excluding confiscation orders) was higher than the same point in the previous year and the outstanding balance had reduced since the start of the financial year. On average over the last 12 months 69% of accounts have been either closed or are compliant with payment terms by 12 months after imposition.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Unpaid Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the value is of outstanding fines that were written off in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many outstanding fines were written off in each of the last four years.

Shailesh Vara: The amounts of financial impositions administratively cancelled and legally cancelled in each year since 2009-10 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Legally cancelled Administratively cancelled 
			 2009-10 58,277,772 47,398,379 
			 2010-11 62,263,874 50,712,367 
			 2011-12 63,957,203 63,135,442 
			 2012-13 62,594,601 75,868,426 
		
	
	The number of financial impositions administratively cancelled and legally cancelled in each year since 2011-12 are set out in the following table. Data on the number of financial impositions cancelled is not available prior to 2011-12.
	
		
			 Number 
			  Legally cancelled Administratively cancelled 
			 2011-12 161,455 226,955 
			 2012-13 165,195 269,486 
		
	
	It is not possible to identify the amounts or numbers written off for just the fine element. The amounts above therefore include all elements of financial penalties (excluding confiscation orders): fines, costs, compensation and victim surcharge. The amounts cancelled in a particular year can relate to impositions from that year or any previous year.
	Financial penalties are only administratively cancelled after all attempts to collect the amount outstanding have been made, and in accordance with strict cancellation criteria. These penalties can be written back on to the system if more information is found—for instance, a new address for the offender.
	Legal cancellations can be applied after the case has been reconsidered by a judge or magistrate. Typically, legal cancellations are used where a case has been re-opened and the defendant has been found not guilty, following the presentation of additional information. Legal cancellations can be full or partial remittances of financial penalties.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has carried out a fundamental review of financial penalty accounts, actively targeting accounts to achieve compliance at the earliest point, as well as tackling old accounts, and administratively cancelling them where there is no realistic chance of collection because they do not have enough information to trace the debtors. This explains the increase in the value of administrative cancellations seen in the figures.
	This enabled HMCTS to focus resources on increasing collections on accounts which can be enforced, resulting in the record high level of collection in 2012-13.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year. At the end of September 2013 total collection (all imposition types excluding confiscation orders) was higher than the same point in the previous year and the outstanding balance had reduced since the start of the financial year. On average over the last 12 months 69% of accounts have been either closed or are compliant with payment terms by 12 months after imposition.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Unpaid Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many outstanding fines remained uncollected on 31 December in each of the last four years.

Shailesh Vara: Data on the total number of financial imposition accounts outstanding has been available only since November 2012 so it is not possible to say how many accounts remained outstanding at the end of December for each of the last four years. The available data is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Total number of financial imposition accounts outstanding 
			  Number 
			 December 2012 1,548,516 
			 September 2013 (latest published period) 1,371,089 
		
	
	The numbers above relate to accounts which include fines, prosecutor costs, compensation and victim surcharge. The number of outstanding accounts include those which are being paid by instalments or are not yet due for payment.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year. At the end of September 2013 total value of collection (all imposition types excluding confiscation orders) was higher than the same point in the previous year and the outstanding balance had reduced since the start of the financial year. On average over the last 12 months 69% of accounts have been either closed or are compliant with payment terms by 12 months after imposition.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Energy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications his Department has received for (a) one-year, (b) three-year and (c) 15-year contracts relating to (i) gas and (ii) coal under the capacity market.

Michael Fallon: National Grid, as delivery body for Electrical Market Reform, will run the first capacity auction in December 2014, subject to the passage of secondary legislation and state aid approval being received. Pre-qualification for the first capacity auction is expected to open on 4 August 2014 and the first round of the auction is expected to take place on 9 December 2014. Consequently, National Grid has not yet received any applications for agreements under the Capacity Market.
	A detailed timetable for the implementation of the Capacity Market is available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268629/Capacity_Market_Implementation_Plan_FINAL.pdf

Energy: Competition

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has plans to extend the life of generating capacity currently scheduled to be closed in the event that delays in new investment arise as a result of uncertainty about the outcome of the competition investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Michael Fallon: Government's plans for the Capacity Market and interim arrangements being put in place by National Grid ahead of this will offer an opportunity to extend the life of existing capacity where it is economically efficient to do so. Subject to state aid approval the first Capacity Market auction will take place in late 2014 for delivery in winter 2018. This will ensure sufficient capacity into the coming decades by offering regular payments to existing and new generation capacity that is successful at auction.
	In advance of this National Grid has developed supplemental balancing reserve, a new balancing service through which it will be able to procure further capacity should it be needed, including capacity that is or otherwise intends to mothball or close. National Grid will only seek to competitively procure the amount of capacity that its forecast determines necessary and expect to run an initial tender process this spring for capacity for the winter of 2014-15 and 2015-16, with the possibility of extending this period if necessary.

Energy: Prices

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimates he has made of the effect of his plans to establish a capacity market on (a) domestic and (b) industrial energy bills between (i) 2015 to 2020 and (ii) 2021 to 2025.

Michael Fallon: The impact of the capacity market on bills was estimated for the Electricity Market Reform Impact Assessment which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288463/final_delivery_plan_ia.pdf
	The results represent the net impact of capacity payments (beginning in 2018-19) and wholesale price impacts relative to a no capacity market scenario and are presented as follows in £, percentage and £/MWh terms.
	
		
			 Estimated net impact of the capacity market on average annual electricity bills 
			 £ 
			 Real 2012 prices Domestic sector Energy Intensive Industry 
			 2015 to 2020 7 220,000 
			 2021 to 2025 20 620,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Estimated net impact of the capacity market on average annual electricity bills 
			 Percentage 
			 Real 2012 prices Domestic sector Energy Intensive Industry 
			 2015 to 2020 1.3 2.0 
			 2021 to 2025 3.2 5.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Estimated net impact of the capacity market on average annual electricity prices 
			 £/MWh 
			 Real 2012 prices Domestic sector Energy Intensive Industry 
			 2015 to 2020 2.4 2.3 
			 2021 to 2025 6.4 6.5 
		
	
	However, as set out in the EMR Impact Assessment, we believe that our current modelling may over-estimate the net bill impact of the Capacity Market. Additional investment in generating capacity, paid for through the Capacity Market, should reduce volatility in the wholesale electricity price, since it ensures we avoid scarcity situations where prices spike and costly blackouts occur. As there is limited evidence on the behaviour of wholesale prices under conditions of low capacity margins, there is considerable uncertainty about what the overall bill impact of the Capacity Market might be, especially when compared to a world without a Capacity Market to address security of supply issues.

Fossil Fuels: Safety

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many old oil and gas wells there are in the UK for which no firm or company is responsible; and how such wells are monitored for leaks.

Michael Fallon: A recently published paper by the ReFINE research consortium estimates that there are between fifty and a hundred historic wells in the UK for which no responsible person can be identified.
	Oil and gas wells in the UK which have no further usefulness are treated to ensure the retention of any fluids within the well. The bore is sealed with concrete plugs, while the well head it cut off below ground level and a steel cap welded to the top. The abandonment operations are subject to scrutiny by the HSE and the independent well examiner, and must comply with relevant industry standards. The site will then be restored to the appropriate standard prescribed by planning conditions.
	Wells are not monitored after the completion of the abandonment and site restoration operations. The ReFINE paper confirms that there are no pollution issues associated with historic oil and gas wells in the UK.

Fossil Fuels: Safety

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to prevent leaks and improve monitoring at existing (a) in use and (b) extinct or abandoned onshore oil and gas sites.

Michael Fallon: The construction and use of oil and gas wells in the UK is subject to stringent regulation by the HSE to ensure the integrity of the well in all phases of its life. Recognised industry design and construction processes must be followed, and the operator’s work and plans are subject to scrutiny by an independent well examiner as well as the HSE. Monitoring and inspections are be carried out by the Environment Agency, the HSE and the independent well examiner as appropriate. Oil and gas wells which have no further usefulness are plugged and capped to ensure the retention of any fluids in the well.
	We seek to improve this robust regulatory system further wherever practicable. Further consideration is being given to control and monitoring of methane emissions in the light of the recommendations of the report by Prof David Mackay and Dr Tim Stone on potential greenhouse gas emissions associated with shale gas production and use, published in September 2013.

Literacy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the functional literacy rates were in each (a) local authority area and (b) region in each of the last 10 years.

David Laws: Tables showing the percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above in reading and writing at the end of key stage 21 at local authority level for the past four years are published in the 'National curriculum assessments at key stage two' statistical first release (SFR). A copy of the data has been placed in the House Library.
	Information on the percentage of pupils achieving A* to C and A* to G grades in English GCSE2 nationally for the last 10 years are published in the 'GCSE and equivalent results' SFR. A copy is placed in the House Library.
	Key stage 2 reading and writing figures for earlier years and English GCSE figures at local authority level could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	1 These figures are published in the “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2” statistical first releases for each year.
	2 These figures are published in the "GCSE and equivalent results" statistical first releases for each year.

Schools: Musical Instruments

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of secondary school children in England learning to play a musical instrument in school (a) paid a charge and (b) received their tuition free of charge in school years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12, (iv) 2012-13 and (v) 2013-14.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the right hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 1 April 2014, Official Report, column 631W, on Schools: Musical Instruments.

Airwave Service

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assurances she has received from operators of commercially available mobile networks that the emergency services will be able to over-ride commercial or public traffic during emergencies.

Damian Green: The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme has worked with the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) since February 2013, running a series of supplier workshops and market engagement sessions throughout 2013 and the first quarter of 2014 ahead of procurement launch. The MNOs have run a series of capability demonstrations, organised by the programme, to showcase development of this technical solution. The programme has confidence that this capability is deliverable. The MNOs met the Minister for the Cabinet Office during February 2014, where they confirmed their ability and willingness to deliver the technology required to enable the emergency services to operate effectively over a commercially available mobile network, including provision of prioritisation of Emergency Service traffic.

Airwave Service

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme delivers a cost effective network that meets the standards of security and resilience essential for mission-critical communications.

Damian Green: The programme has undertaken an extensive market engagement exercise to help determine the technical and commercial feasibility of the proposed Emergency Services Network (ESN). The results of these industry soundings indicate that it should be possible to move to Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) solution based technologies that will be more cost effective and will allow the Emergency Services communications to evolve in line with developments in the consumer market. The outline business case, approved in March 2014, included costs for the security and resilience enhancements required to provide the appropriate service levels for ESN users.

Asylum: Syria

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what (a) accommodation provision, (b) employment programmes and (c) other resettlement provision has been made for Syrian refugees who come to the UK as part of the resettlement deal;
	(2)  how long the UK plans to host Syrian refugees who come as part of the resettlement deal; and whether such refugees will be issued with a visa for a specified time period.

James Brokenshire: The first beneficiaries of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme arrived in the UK on 25 March. This is the result of excellent co-operation with UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration and local authority services, which has allowed us to identify vulnerable individuals in need of evacuation and ensure that the support they need is in place in the UK. These support packages are tailored on a case by case basis to ensure that specific requirements for those relocated under the scheme are met and include health, education and integration support.
	Those admitted under the VPR scheme will be granted five years' Humanitarian Protection, with all the rights and benefits that go with that status. This includes access to public funds, access to the labour market and the possibility of family reunion. If the situation in Syria stabilises, they may choose to return home. However, at the end of the five years, if they have not been able to return to Syria, they may be eligible to apply for settlement in the UK.

Borders: Personal Records

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when the decision to cancel the e-borders programme was taken;
	(2)  what commercial tenders have been received for a new system to introduce exit checks and replace the e-borders programme;
	(3)  how many full-time equivalent officials in her Department of each grade have worked on the e-borders programme in each year since 2010;
	(4)  what estimate she has made of the cost of merging the e-borders programme into the border system programme.

James Brokenshire: The activities of the e-Borders programme have been absorbed into the Border Systems Programme. The estimated cost to close the e-Borders programme and define the Border Systems Programme was £340,000. These costs are attributable to civil servants already in post and there has been no additional expenditure or procurement in order to move the work from e-Borders to Border Systems.
	The procurement approach to replacing the primary border security elements of the Border Systems Programme will reflect broader Government ICT and Commercial strategy, and there will be no single, large supplier. The Home Office will lead development, with services procured from a range of providers, potentially including small and medium enterprises; no tenders have been received at this time.
	By March 2015 the Border Systems Programme aims to:
	Complete resilience of all current business critical systems;
	Develop replacement primary border security systems;
	Provide the capability to support commitments on exit checks;
	Establish a programme for the next generation of Radiological and Nuclear detection (Cyclamen);
	Continue the implementation of second generation e-Gates across the estate;
	Develop and implement new freight targeting capability for Sea Containers;
	Establish contracts to purchase new detection equipment;
	Continue to assure live operations of existing systems.
	The breakdown of FTE civil servants engaged by the e-Borders and subsequently the Border Systems Programme in each year since 2010, is:
	
		
			  December 2010 December 2011 December 2012 December 2013 
			 SCS PB 2 1 1 1 0 
			 SCS PB 1 2 1 2 2 
			 G6 7.8 7.8 7.8 9.8 
			 G7 11.8 9.8 10.8 17.8 
			 SEO/HMI 33.5 34.7 48.8 49.7 
			 HEO/CIO 26 25.4 22.5 30.9 
			 EO/IO 22 19.3 25 20.8 
			 AO/PS 7 5 5 3

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a record of the regions and sub-regions within the UK subject to the highest number of refusals of people seeking a visa to study in institutions in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold information on the numbers of Tier 4 visas refused for study at institutions, by regions and sub-regions, within the UK in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many survivors of human trafficking who have been placed in shelters funded by the Government through the Salvation Army received support from the government victim care contract specialist support providers to develop a move-on strategy in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013; how many of these victims were (i) men and (ii) women; how many (A) men and (B) women are still receiving such support; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Support to develop a move-on strategy is offered to all victims supported under the Government victim-care contract. The number of victims who have received Government-funded support are given as follows.
	
		
			 Year of entry to service Female Male Trans-gender Total 
			 2013 387 270 2 659 
			 2012 246 163 - 409 
			 Total 633 433 2 1,068 
		
	
	Of the above, the numbers still receiving such support, by calendar year of entry and gender:
	
		
			 Year of entry to service Female Male Total 
			 2013 96 23 119 
			 2012 0 1 1 
			 Total 96 24 120

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with how many victims of human trafficking the government victims care contract specialist support providers are now working; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The number of victims of human trafficking the Government victim-care contract specialist support providers are currently working with is as follows:
	
		
			 Currently supported in service 
			  Number 
			 Female 219 
			 Male 78 
			 Total 297

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fines levied under the Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Control) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 of a value of (a) up to £1000, (b) between £1000 and £2000, (c) between £2000 and £5000 and (d) between £5000 and £10000 remained unpaid.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many fines levied under the Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Control) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 of a value of (a) up to £1,000, (b) between £1,000 and £2,000, (c) between £2,000 and £5,000 and (d) £5,000 and £10,000 remained unpaid, is not recorded in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols. Data constraints on electronic records mean that the Home Office would have to examine in detail a large number of individual case files in order to ascertain the information required. The cost of producing the data linking civil penalties issued to our accounting system for civil penalties which remain unpaid by value would be at a disproportionate cost to the Home Office.
	However, the Home Office has collected £30.6 million in fines through the life of the regime and the current total value of outstanding collectable debt is £14.6 million.
	The Home Office is using the Immigration Bill to make it easier to enforce civil penalty debts in the courts and is incorporating debt recovery best practice from across Government Departments, with earlier initiation of legal proceedings for debt recovery if required.

Betting Shops

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many betting shops have had their licences revoked in each year since 2005; and what the reasons were in each such case.

Helen Grant: The law governing betting shop licensing changed with effect from 1 September 2007. Operating licences are issued and revoked by the Gambling Commission and the table shows revocations of operating licences since the law changed in 2007. Licensed betting offices also require a premises licence; these are issued and revoked by local licensing authorities however central figures on the number of premises licence revocations each year are not collated. This is therefore an incomplete picture of total revocations.
	
		
			  Non-remote general betting standard (betting shop) operating licences revoked 
			 Financial year Revoked for non-payment of fees to the Gambling Commission Revoked regarding issues arising from a change of corporate control Total revocations 
			 2007-081 0 0 0 
			 2008-092 13 0 13 
			 2009-10 10 0 10 
			 2010-11 7 0 7 
			 2011-12 2 1 3 
			 2012-13 6 1 7 
			 2013-14 0 0 0 
			 1 Operating licences were first issued by the Gambling Commission in September 2007. 2 A breakdown of figures from detailed records is not available other than at disproportionate cost for the remainder of 2008. During that period an additional 54 operating licences of various types were also revoked for the non-payment of annual fees to the Gambling Commission.

Betting Shops

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will define primary gambling activity criteria to identify the extent to which betting shops rely on non-betting activities;
	(2)  what action the Gambling Commission takes with licensed operators where provision of betting facilities appears non-compliant with primary gambling activity measures;
	(3)  how long betting shops are given by the Gambling Commission to comply with the requirements surrounding their primary gambling activity.

Helen Grant: The Gambling Commission has produced detailed advice regarding primary gambling activity in their Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice and related advice and works with local authorities to ensure these requirements are complied with. This work includes direct interaction with licensed operators in cases where the provision of betting facilities has appeared to be non-compliant. The approach taken varies based on the circumstances of each case and there is no standard timetable; however a formal operating licence review has formed part of this approach on 18 occasions.

Boxing: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with representatives of boxing in Northern Ireland on the choice of which country they represent at international competitions level.

Helen Grant: I meet with representatives of national governing bodies on a regular basis-eligibility and selection for international competition remains a matter for the relevant sports authorities.

Broadband

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Ofcom voluntary code of practice on broadband speeds; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom is the independent national regulatory authority for communications and the voluntary code of practice on broadband speeds falls within their remit. The code of practice was introduced in 2008 to ensure that consumers receive accurate information on broadband speeds at the point of sale to allow them to make informed purchasing decisions. The code, which was subsequently updated in 2010, requires internet service providers to provide consumers with information on the maximum speed they can achieve, including an estimated speed range to help ensure that consumers choose the package that is the most appropriate for them in light of their individual circumstances and needs. All the largest internet service providers representing 98% of the broadband consumer market are signed up to the Code and have agreed to abide by its principles and spirit.
	Ofcom has undertaken successive mystery shopping exercises to check compliance with the Code. Results have shown that the level of compliance has continued to improve. The latest results published in May 2013 found that overall 96% of mystery shopping callers were provided with a speed estimate (93% in 2011-12). There was also an improvement overall in the provision of speeds information provided to mystery shoppers via the web. All signatories to the Code, with the exception of two small providers, offered a speed checker which provide estimated access line speeds. The percentage of assessments where any speed estimate was given via the website rose from 87% in 2011-12 to 92% in 2013.
	Ofcom is currently discussing with industry and consumer groups, its proposals to revise the Code to reflect significant changes in the broadband market since the Code's introduction, with the increased take up of superfast packages. The proposals include improving the information on speeds for consumers buying superfast packages to equal that received by consumers buying current generation services.

Public Expenditure

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the projected spending is by her Department in 2015-16 by functional flows to (a) museums and galleries, (b) communications, (c) libraries, (d) tourism, (e) the Royal Parks, (f) equalities, (g) BBC Public Sector broadcasting, (h) S4C, (i) arts, (j) sports, (k) gambling and National Lottery, (l) architecture and the historic environment and (m) the creative industries, disaggregating (i) grant-in-aid and Lottery and (ii) capital and current expenditure.

Helen Grant: The information is as follows.
	
		
			 Funding for 2015-16 
			 £000 
			  Centrally funded/Grant in Aid Lottery 
			 Areas of spending Resource Capital Resource Capital 
			 Museums and Galleries 289,423 27,614 — — 
			 Communications 11,794 266,000 — — 
			 Libraries 90,160 3,221 — — 
			 Tourism 26,632 186 — — 
			 The Royal Parks 11,368 1,865 — — 
			 Equalities 27,127 387 — — 
			 BBC1 — — — — 
			 S4C2 6,787 — — — 
			 Arts 356,564 12,749 238,676 40,509 
			 Sport 114,720 25,265 277,568 54,937 
			 Gambling and National Lottery1 — — — — 
			 Architecture and the Historic Environment 106,419 14,269 — — 
			 Creative Industries 25,928 1,532 45,292 — 
			 1 This information is not yet available. 2 S4C is now funded almost entirely from the BBC Licence fee receipts. Note: The table details all 'functional flows' funded centrally, through Grant-in-Aid or from the National Lottery.

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of employees in her Department of each (a) civil service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time.

Helen Grant: The Department has a flexible working guide and working from home policy which allows employees to work from home, compressed hours, job share and during term-time only. Remote working facilities are available to all staff, enabling them to work from home or other locations as if they are in the office. Staff at all grades can work from home by agreement.
	The proportion of employees in the Department (a) civil service pay grade and (b) gender are shown in the tables:
	
		
			 Pay grade 
			 Percentage 
			  SCS Grade 6/7 SEO/HEO EO 
			 Work from home 0 0.51 0.76 0 
			 Compressed hours 0 0.51 0.25 0 
			 Job Share 0 0 0 0 
			 Term time 0 0 0 0 
			 Part-time hours 1.27 3.55 3.55 1.52 
		
	
	
		
			 Gender 
			 Percentage 
			  Male Female 
			 Work from home 0.76 0.51 
			 Compressed hours 0.51 0.25 
			 Part-time hours 0.76 10.15 
		
	
	We do not keep central records of employees who work flexi time. Staff can work flexi time by agreement. Staff at all grades can work from home on an ad-hoc basis with agreement from their line managers. Staff listed as working from home on the tables above reflect those who are fully home based.

Emergency Services: Telecommunications

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what scrutiny the Major Projects Authority has given to the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme;
	(2)  what Red, Amber, Green ratings the Major Projects Authority has given to the Emergency Services Communications Programme.

Francis Maude: The Major Projects Authority (MPA) has been applying MPA assurance processes to the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) including a Project Assessment Review and Gateway Reviews. Further information on the ESMCP Programme is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-emergency-services-mobile-communications-programme
	Delivery Confidence Assessment ratings are supplied according to the MPA's Transparency Policy which is on the Cabinet Office website. The policy allows for non-disclosure of information which should properly remain confidential, for example where it is market sensitive or necessary to safeguard national security.
	This will be in line with the principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/major-projects-transparency-policy-and-exemptions-guidance
	The DCA for ESMCP was not revealed in MPA's first annual report last year in line with the above policy. The next annual report of the MPA is due to be published in May.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10.

Francis Maude: Under this Government's transparency programme, contracts are published on Contracts Finder which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what proportion of employees in his Department of each (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time;
	(2)  what proportion of employees in No. 10 Downing Street of what (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	Some of the information requested is not held centrally. However, all of these options are available to employees subject to business needs.
	Fewer than five employees are currently recorded as working (iii) from home in a formal arrangement.
	The proportion of employees by Pay Grade who work part-time hours as at 28 February 2014 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 CO Payband (CS Equivalent) Part-time (percentage) 
			 PERM SEC 0 
			 SCS3 14 
			 SCS2 5 
			 SCSI 8 
			 A/BAND A (Grade 6/7) 5 
			 B2/BAND B2 (HEO/SEO) 6 
			 B/Faststream 0 
			 B1/BANDB1 (EO) 9 
			 C/BAND C (AA/AO) 10 
		
	
	The proportion of employees by gender who work part-time hours as at 28 February 2014 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Gender Part-time (percentage) 
			 Female 12 
			 Male 1

Conditions of Employment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been referred to jobs on zero-hours contracts through Jobcentre Plus in each month since May 2010.

Esther McVey: Jobseekers are not required to apply for zero-hours contract vacancies, they will not be sanctioned as a result of not applying.

Conditions of Employment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance is issued to Jobcentre Plus on recommending jobs on zero-hours contracts.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus guidance stipulates that claimants should not be mandated to apply for a job offering a zero hours contract. It also states that no sanction action will be taken if claimants refuse or fail to apply. A person leaving a zero hours contract job will not be sanctioned if they leave that job voluntarily or lose it through their misconduct.

Conditions of Employment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion and number of jobs currently advertised through Jobcentre Plus are on zero-hour contracts.

Esther McVey: We do not advertise in jobcentres, all vacancies are now advertised on Universal Jobmatch, JSA claimants are not required to apply for zero-hour contract jobs and are not penalised if they leave such a job.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rhondda of 27 March 2014, Official Report, column 347W, on housing benefit: social rented sector, if he will commission a one year evaluation of the effects of the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: We have already commissioned a two year evaluation of the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy across Great Britain. The evaluation commenced in April 2013 and is being led by Ipsos-MORI and includes the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research. The final report will be published in late 2015.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department has not published data on the effects of the under-occupancy penalty on the number of social housing tenants who have moved home or fallen into rent arrears.

Esther McVey: It is still too early in the policy's lifetime to draw any firm conclusions as to its effect, including the number of tenants who have moved home. Rent arrears can have multiple causes and levels tend to fluctuate over time. A longer time frame than one year is required in order to see whether and, if so, to what extent the removal of the spare room subsidy has impacted on rent arrears levels.
	A consortium led by Ipsos-MORI and which includes the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research has been commissioned to carry out a two year monitoring of the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy measure across Great Britain.
	The Homes and Communities Agency reported in February that the median level of arrears among the larger housing associations had fallen from 4.1% in the second quarter of 2013-14 to 3.9% in the third quarter of 2013-14.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department records the number of referrals made to local third-sector advice providers (a) to use the telephone, (b) for help filling in forms and (c) providing other support.

Esther McVey: It is not our policy to refer people to third-sector providers to use the telephone or get help in filling in our forms. As such we do not collect this information. Where third party providers are the most suitable people to provide support or advice we would signpost claimants to them.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in Scotland were referred to the benefit sanctions regime introduced in October 2012 in each month from March 2013 to March 2014.

Esther McVey: The information requested on referral rates is not available.
	Statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance benefit claimants, who have been sanctioned in Scotland, by sanction level, from March 2013, up to September 2013 which is the latest data available, are published and can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Jobseeker's Allowance: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fixed-length sanctions of (a) high, (b) medium and (c) low level were imposed on jobseeker's allowance claimants in Scotland in each month from March 2013 to March 2014.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance benefit claimants, who have been sanctioned in Scotland, by sanction level, from March 2013, up to September 2013 which is the latest data available, are published and can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on retirement incomes from private and workplace pensions.

Steve Webb: The Government believes people should be trusted to make their own choices about how to use their savings to fund their retirement. These measures fundamentally change the way that people can access their retirement savings, and therefore people are free to vary the mix of income and capital they hold in retirement.
	Alongside these changes, the government is taking measures to ensure everyone approaching retirement is aware of the choices they have. Pension providers and schemes will be required, by April 2015, to offer all individuals retiring with a defined contribution pension pot free and impartial face-to-face guidance on their retirement choices.

Remploy

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  for what reasons the three year wage subsidy for former Remploy disabled employees transferring to a new employer was not available for new businesses set up for the purpose of employing disabled people formerly employed by Remploy;
	(2)  if he will extend the Welsh model of assistance offered to former Remploy employees setting up a business and not subject to TUPE provisions to England and Scotland.

Michael Penning: The Government agreed to a transitional time limited wage subsidy, for all disabled workers that TUPE to a new employer as part of Remploy's commercial process, to support the ongoing employment of Remploy disabled workers.
	For all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures, the Government agreed that the best support to help them find a job was to put in place the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP) providing help for up to 18 months. As at 21 March 2014, 1,513 disabled former Remploy workers are choosing to work with our personal case workers to find another job and 716 are in work.
	The PHSP includes one-to-one support from a personal case worker to identify suitable help to find work including access to advice and support to set up a business. This includes the Community Support Fund, which has provided financial support for former disabled Remploy workers to help them use existing skills and expertise to set up three new small businesses in Aberdeen, Stoke and Worksop. In addition, three other Community Support Fund projects are being used to set up small businesses in Birkenhead, Leeds and Newcastle.

Remploy

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons the Community Support Fund for former Remploy employees was only accessible through a third party and what estimate he has made of how many eligible former Remploy employees did not make a claim because they were unable to do so themselves.

Michael Penning: The Community Support Fund (CSF) was co-produced with disabled people and ex-Remploy employees to determine exactly what type of support or project they wanted to take part in. A key driver for the CSF was to ensure ex-employees could keep in touch with former work colleagues; to help negate feelings of isolation. This social activity can be achieved only by offering opportunities for ex-employees to take part in group activities.
	Access to CSF was provided through disabled people's user led and voluntary sector organisations who have the necessary skills to support these projects, providing vital peer support, personalised local services and actively working to increase participation in local community activities.
	The Community Support Fund (CSF) projects have provided opportunities for 1,136 disabled ex-employees and 827 people have taken part in CSF activities at March 2014.
	We are unable to provide an estimate of how many eligible former Remploy employees did not make a claim for CSF funding because they were unable to do so themselves.

Remploy

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department paid the majority of the support package for former Remploy workers to Job Centre Plus for a rapid response team; what that rapid response did to assist former Remploy employees; and what the outcome of that assistance was.

Michael Penning: The Rapid Response Service (RRS) was made available to all former affected Remploy employees and was funded separately to the £8 million People Help and Support Package (PHSP), which provides help for all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures.
	RRS support was made available to all affected Remploy employees at the earliest opportunity following the announcement of a Remploy factory closure. Working with Remploy a range of support was agreed taking into account local circumstances and involved partner organisations where appropriate, for example the National Careers Service.
	Typically, RRS included on-site support and advice that helped with: providing information about being made redundant, identifying transferable skills, job options and training needs, learning new skills appropriate to the local labour market, job search skills and finding a new job, overcoming barriers to work and settling into a new job.
	Together, with the PHSP, as at 21 March this support has helped 716 former Remploy workers who are now in work.

Remploy: Edinburgh

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 515W, on Remploy: Edinburgh, how many former Remploy employees from the Edinburgh site are working (a) less than 16 hours per week in paid employment, (b) less than 30 hours per week in paid employment and (c) in voluntary and unpaid positions.

Michael Penning: Of the 28 workers made redundant as a result of the closure of Remploy in South Gyle, Edinburgh we are able to provide information on the 24 disabled former employees who have engaged with a personal case worker.
	As at 21 March 2014 Jobcentre Plus records show that seven people are in paid employment over 16 hours and 17 have accessed Work Choice support. We have no records of people working (a) less than 16 hours, (b) less than 30 hours per week paid employment or (c) in voluntary and unpaid work

Road Traffic Control

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Health and Safety Executive has taken to enforce the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in respect of employees in the traffic management industry in the last 10 years for which information is available.

Michael Penning: This information is not held centrally to the level of detail required to distinguish the traffic management sector from others in the construction industry. It would incur disproportionate cost to find this information.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) works with the industry to help develop traffic management layouts or schemes which improve the safety of those working on high speed roads. It also carries out investigations of incidents and complaints and takes enforcement action in line with its published enforcement policy.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people returning to Jobcentre Plus after two years on the Work Programme are aged under 25 years.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of claimants who have returned to Jobcentre Plus after 104 weeks on the Work programme by age group can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Aircraft Carrier Alliance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to designate the Aircraft Carrier Alliance as a public body for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Philip Dunne: For the manufacture phase of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft carrier project the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) was formed from BAE Systems Naval Ships (formerly BAE Systems Surface Ships), Babcock, Thales UK and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The MOD is fully compliant with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Private companies do not fall under the remit of the Freedom of Information Act. It is not appropriate for the Secretary of State for Defence to designate the ACA a public body.

Armed Forces: Pensions

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will introduce an online pension calculator for use by those who have left the armed forces.

Anna Soubry: The Armed Forces Benefits, Pension, Scheme Pays and Redundancy Calculators are available for serving armed forces personnel, but will not provide an accurate forecast for ex-service personnel. They are able to request pension forecasts directly from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) which will be re-named Defence Business Services—Veterans UK with effect from 1 April 2014.

Electronic Warfare

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many NATO or EU cyber exercises are planned in 2014; and what the UK's involvement will be in each such exercise.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any EU cyber exercises planned for this year. With regards to NATO exercises, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for International Security Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), on 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 846W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Nicholas Soames). There are seven NATO wide cyber exercises planned for 2014. While the UK is planning to participate in a NATO cyber exercise during November 2014, the exact nature of the participation is still being finalised.

Military Law

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 which corresponds to an offence contrary to any provision specified in the table in paragraph 3 of the Schedule of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009 in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 which (a) corresponds to an offence contrary to any provision specified in part 1 of the table in paragraph 1 of the Schedule to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009 and was committed in circumstances specified in the entry in the second column of that part of that table which corresponds to the relevant entry in the first column of that part of that table or (b) corresponds to an offence contrary to a provision specified in part 2 of that table in each of the last four years.

Anna Soubry: The information will take time to collate, I will write to the hon. Member shortly.